Things I will accomplish before the big three-oh.

Daring Cooks do Moo Shu Pork

For the October Daring Cooks challenge, we tackled Moo Shu Pork. Having had a dish very like moo shu pork at Peter Chang’s China Grill in Charlottesville, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make something as good. And as I was cooking it, that concern developed into a fear that I’d have a whole mess of lousy pork on my hands. Actually, though, it was tasty when jazzed up with hoisin and green onions. I have to say, I didn’t finish a mandatory part of this challenge: the sauce. I was going to make hoisin sauce, and I will at some point, but David’s sick and I’m trying to take care of him while avoiding sickness myself. Another time.

Blog Checking Lines: The October Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cook and her sister Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood. They challenged us to bring a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce.

Mix flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. You can, of course, mix this by hand, but it’s kind of a pain. Pour in 1 1/2 cups boiling water and mix with your dough hook. Add the teaspoon of vegetable oil. From here, you may need to add more water. I had to add about half a cup more. It’s okay if your dough is slightly sticky, but you don’t want it sticking to everything, so adjust accordingly. Knead by hand or with a dough hook until it’s a uniform mass.

Remove to a floured work space and divide the dough into three equal parts. Set two aside, covered, and divide the third into eight equal parts. Roll each into a ball, then, using your hands or a rolling pin, work that sucker into a 6-8″ circle. I liked the 6″ size – maybe it was slightly thicker than traditional moo shu pancakes, but it also held up to the filling better.

Now here’s where it gets interesting. Take two pancakes, and brush one side of each with a thin layer of sesame oil. Now sandwich the two pancakes together, oil sides in. Lightly press them to seal around the edges, but don’t go nuts, we’re going to be separating them after we cook them. Repeat with the other six pancakes.

Heat a dry skillet over high heat, then turn down to medium. Unless you have a huge skillet, you’ll probably only be able to do one of these at a time. Cook on one side until it lightly browns in spots, then flip. This way you have a crisp, browned outside and a steamed inside. When both sides are browned, remove to a plate, and when cool enough to touch, separate the two pancakes. Watch out for steam!

Now repeat until you’ve cooked off all your pancakes. Set aside while you prepare your pork.

I also added some mung bean sprouts and shredded carrots, for texture and color.
*Okay, we have a limited selection of fungus here. You have white mushrooms, or brown. I went with 2 pints of brown baby bellas.

Now this comes together pretty quickly, but by far the most time consuming part is prep. I recommend you get yourself all mise-en-place-d before you turn on the fire. I’d even cut everything up before you start the pancakes. That way the pancakes don’t languish on the counter while you painstakingly cut up a ton of produce. Cut up all your veggies and let them sit in bowls. Slice your pork in thin ribbons (I find this easiest to do with a very sharp knife while the pork is mostly frozen). Side note: I’ve had a lot of really tough pork in stir fries. In this case, your best bet is to cut really thin slices across the grain, then julienne them. Mix your soy sauce and rice wine in a little bowl. Last, crack your eggs, add a pinch of salt, and mix them up with a fork. Now you’re ready to start cooking.

So get out your wok. What? You don’t have a wok? Who cares, I’m fed up with mine. Just use a deep saute pan if you have one. Heat 2 tablespoons of your oil over a high flame. Add your eggs and cook until they’re just set, then remove to a bowl and set aside. Heat the other 2 tablespoons of oil and add the pork to the hot pan; stir fry just until it’s no longer pink. Add the mushrooms, bamboo shoots, cabbage, and scallions. I generally call scallions green onions, myself. Save a few of those for nice green garnish at the end. Fry until the cabbage begins to wilt down some, then add the soy sauce/rice wine mixture, along with the salt. If your wok/pan is too small (as mine was) you may end up with a pool of liquid from the cabbage and mushrooms in the bottom. Just try to boil it off a little. Keep stirring until the pork is done and all the veggies are tender. Add your scrambled eggs, breaking them up a bit, and there you go! Actually, here’s where I’d also add about a cup of shredded carrots and a cup of bean sprouts. Toss everything together to make sure it’s all warm.

Warm your pancakes if they’ve cooled, then serve. Here’s how it goes: pancake, 1/3 cup pork filling, plenty of hoisin sauce, and some more green onions. Delightful! Even if it smells a little funny and looks a little weird and bland in the pan. No no, yours won’t smell funny or look weird. Just go make some.

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13 Responses

I did make the hoisin sauce but ended up wishing I had used the one I have in my cupboard as that is much less salty then the one I made, so I don’t think you missed anything by not making the sauce. Love the look of your moo shu! I had never had it before but loved it. And yes, it’s essential to cut everything first!

I totally understand about sick husbands, so no worries on the sauce – I think you did an awesome job on your stir fry and pancakes!! I hope your husband feels better soon and thank you so much for cooking with us this month!

Your moo shu looks beautiful with the bold, vibrant colors. I am sorry your hubby is sick – I do know what that is like, and how much work that entails for you! I hope you give the sauce a try, I think it is a nice complement to the moo shu… Thank you for cooking with us this month!